Is this dog fat? Late-night potty breaks? Modesto pet trainer answers reader questions

Bob writes that his dog Dusty was recently labeled as “fat” by a well-meaning dog lover. His vet never mentioned a weight problem, and Bob feeds Dusty the recommended amount of kibble as noted on the back of the bag.

My first recommendation for you, Bob, is to specifically ask your vet to give you the lowdown on Dusty’s weight and overall health status. Sadly, many professionals are hesitant to bring up the subject of weight loss without being prompted by the pet owner, for fear of offending the client. Be prepared for whatever your veterinarian’s response is, keeping in mind that his or her goals and your’s are the same: for Dusty to live a long and healthy life. Even if he isn’t grossly overweight, a few extra pounds can exacerbate a heart condition, or structural impediments such as hip or elbow dysplasia, arthritis or disc problems. Forget how much the dog food company recommends you feed Dusty and keep a log for a few weeks to determine the correct amount on your own.

Many factors are involved in determining the right number of daily calories for your dog, such as age, activity level, daily treat consumption, etc. If you or your vet determines that Dusty needs to shed a few pounds, begin by getting a current weight. Then divide his food into morning and evening rations and offer him about 1/3 less than his previous daily amount. After 1-2 weeks, re-weigh him. If he is not losing much weight, reduce his caloric intake further, and if he’s lost weight too rapidly, add in a bit more. Continue this process with regular weigh-ins until you attain his ideal weight and correct daily caloric amount. And don’t forget the important extras — treats equal calories too, so take note of all that Dusty receives each day and remember nothing can get the weight off better than increased, regular exercise.

Suzanne writes that her 5-year-old dog, Dax, once slept through the night, but now needs potty breaks. This all began a few weeks ago when he was ill and had diarrhea. Numerous potty trips were required for 4-5 days and nights, but now his stool is normal, yet he still wishes to go out at night to potty. Suzanne, on the other hand, wants to go back to the way things were, and blissfully sleep the night away without interruption.

I’ll assume that Dax is now healthy, and that this is simply a new habit he’s fallen into. Getting you to take him out at night gives him extra attention from you, and a little fun time in the yard. So, I would take the following steps to get him back into the routine of sleeping and ‘holding it’ all night:

First, offer him his evening meal several hours before bedtime, and pick up the water bowl two hours before lights out. Next, make sure he eliminates a final time before retiring, and don’t assume that he will do so by turning him out loose in the yard. Instead, go with him, preferably on a leash, so you can witness the event and prevent him from getting side-tracked by other things or activities until he does so.

Finally, I would recommend he be crated at night. Keeping him crated limits his options for other nighttime activities. If he whines a bit, don’t immediately get up to let him out. Instead, wait for him to give up and settle back down. If he truly needs to go out to eliminate, he’ll let you know – most of us can tell the difference between our dog’s boredom whine, and the urgent “I really gotta go!” whine.

Once the habit of sleeping through the night has been reestablished, you can revert to the old feeding and sleeping loose routine without any trouble. On the other hand, if he continues to require nighttime excursions to eliminate a large volume of urine or stool, or conversely, strains but doesn’t produce much of anything, I’d reevaluate, and have your veterinarian examine him to rule out any physical problems that might be contributing to this behavior.

Lisa Moore’s pet-behavior column appears once a month on the Pet Page. Write to her in care of LifeStyles, The Modesto Bee, P.O. Box 5256, Modesto 95352.

This story was originally published April 30, 2019 at 9:08 AM with the headline "Is this dog fat? Late-night potty breaks? Modesto pet trainer answers reader questions."